Loony Moony
by oXXb00kw0rmXXo
Summary: I was one of a kind. A living paradox. I was a wizard, yet I was a monster. I had three best friends, yet I was a loner. I was perfectly sane - until the full moon rose into the sky. I was Remus Lupin, and to my friends, I had to say goodbye.
1. Moony Emerges

**Well, here is my third finished HP fic. My first is My Wizard and my second is Three Days, but those are both oneshots. This is... get ready... drumroll please... a two-shot!! Haha, actually, it was originally a oneshot, but I split it up because it was so long. Anyhow, this is about Remus Lupin and how the Marauders found out about his furry little problem. I hope you like it! This is just my idea of it, because I know it's been done so many times.**

**This is also being submitted for the challenge Bite Me.**

**Thanks to enitsirk, my beta, who is awesome! Check out her fic, You Want To Make a Memory. It's this amazing epic fic about the Marauders 7 years, and to their death (aw, poor guys... except Pettigrew) at Hogwarts. I think it's up to 4th or 5th year by now. It's great and I know there are so many of those, but enitsirk's tops it all.**

**Enjoy!**

**I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. If I was JK Rowling, Remus would not have died. He would at the very least get a cool death scene. And Sirius would get a cool one, too, because, honestly, _drapery_? Oh... I have an idea for something I should've stuck in... hm... maybe the second part...**

**Edit: Sorry, guys I missed something, I had to fix it.**

* * *

"Dad, do I have to?" I was walking through the cold, wintry streets on our way to the Ministry. I shivered slightly through my ragged coat. It had endured many seasons. Dad rested his warm hand on my shoulder. I winced. It probably looked like a man leading his six year old son. I knew I was small for my age, but my parents' protective demeanor only made it worse.

"Remus, it's the law," he said sternly, but his face softened. "I know you're scared, but it'll be fine. I've heard great things about the officer; he's said to be very nice." I shrugged his hand off of me, and struggled to hold down my stomach. Not only was I nervous as could be, but the full moon was the following day. As I got older and transformations got worse, so did my condition before and after.

"But, Dad, it's Christmas!" I whined. I was acting like a child now as I stopped by the red phone booth and stomped my foot. "It's not fair!" Dad pushed me gently into the small, cramped space and followed me in, ignoring my pleas. He did this all the time. He had done this for as long as I could remember. Throwing fits would do no good if you were a werewolf. He only tried to prepare me for reality. On the other hand, my mother coddled me and spoiled me as much as a poor family could.

Dad used to make a lot of money, but then he stopped writing werewolf articles. Both my mother and I begged him to stop. It had been his profession – documents, newspaper articles, books, and so on. He was good at it, too. His most famous piece had spread across the world, been reprinted in magazines and books, even cited in student projects. It had been about Fenrir Greyback.

Greyback decided to get his revenge for this little bit that alerted the world of his true nature. He hid in my backyard. I didn't listen to my parents and stayed in the garden after nightfall. I never disobeyed my parents again. I already had my punishment for that.

My fingers traced the light scar on my wrist and I shuddered.

Dad punched in the numbers and spoke to the machine. Badges fell out and I slowly pinned mine on, in a sense of numbness. Perhaps if I began to go numb now, it wouldn't hurt so much, I thought.

I was coming to the Ministry to be registered and branded. As we stood in the elevator, I prayed to Merlin that none of the Ministry workers had children in Hogwarts. I prayed that they wouldn't spot the large "WEREWOLF" badge on my chest. I prayed that, even if they did, they wouldn't tell. My father and I made no conversation, but I felt my hand slip into his instinctively. He squeezed it hard and led me out.

The hallway was gray and cold. That's why I hadn't expected for the office we were to report at to have a bright red and gold door. The Gryffindor colors warmed my heart, if only a little.

Dad raised his hand and knocked twice. The door swung open immediately and I gasped. Standing before me was an almost exact replica of James Potter. This man, however, looked a bit more aged, and with gray streaking his black, messy hair, but the similarities were stunning.

He extended his hand.

"John Lupin," my dad introduced himself. "And this is Remus, my son." He pulled me forward. I was mortified to find I was still holding his hand, I blushed red enough to match his door.

"I'm Harold Potter," the man greeted, therefore confirming my fears. This couldn't end well.

"Nice door, you have here," my dad laughed and Mr. Potter joined him.

"Yes, well, you know boys, you have one yourself! My son and his friend did it just the other day. They've been accompanying me to work. I don't know why, I only do paperwork on most days… Ah, well, you might as well come in while I prepare this." We followed him silently into the backroom, where a cold, metal table stood in the middle of the room. Mr. Potter shut the door and quickly cast a spell. He explained that it was to keep noise inside. He didn't want to frighten anyone passing by.

Too late.

I shook in my spot as Dad chatted calmly with Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter threw gloves over his hands and began to sort through various potions. He set his wand carefully onto the tray of sterilizers and I quaked even harder. Soon, that wand would be slicing numbers into my flesh.

"Tell me, Remus, how old are you again?" he asked, scribbling information down on a pile of sheets. My registration, I guessed.

"Twelve," I managed to whisper.

"Really? James is your age. He has a friend named Remus. I didn't think I'd hear another boy of the same age group with that name. Do you know where your name originated?"

I scowled. This confirmed my fears even further. "Yeah," I mumbled. "I was cursed from birth." Mr. Potter laughed, a laugh similar to my friend's. Dad rolled his eyes. He had heard this enough.

"Can he take adult painkillers?" Mr. Potter asked my dad and my dad shook his head.

"It's too strong. He vomited yesterday when we tried to give him some for a headache. And children's doesn't work, either. It's too weak."

Mr. Potter sighed and bit his lip. "We're going to have to do this the hard way, then," he murmured, peering at me sympathetically.

"H-h-hard way?" I stuttered.

"Yes. I can't give you the painkillers, it would be no use if they don't work. I'll be right back, I'm going to get something for you to bite on," Mr. Potter explained kindly and left the room in a hurry. He left the door open, revealing a bit of his office. As soon as he was out of sight, I crumpled to the ground, shaking.

"I can't do this, Dad, I can't!" I gasped and he bent down to wrap his arms around me comfortingly.

"It's okay, Remus, you'll be fine. It's just a little cut, no big deal. You've had worse."

"Just a cut? Dad, where is this 'little cut' going to be?" Dad quietly traced my left shoulder, right above my heart, usually covered by clothes. "Dad, you don't get it. I live in a dormitory with four other boys! James, Sirius, Peter, and Frank. Frank isn't even my friend! And I'm going to be with them all the time. They're going to notice. We swim when it's warm enough! How do I hide this from everyone?"

"Maybe," my dad started slowly. "Maybe you can tell them."

"It's not so simple. Sirius hates anything Dark, including his family. If he can hate his family, he can easily hate me! Peter has nightmares about werewolves, he had one right before we left for break. And James… his dad is the one that's branding me!" The tears could barely keep themselves in. Not only was I terrified, but I had only just thought of what this would bring to my secrecy. "If enough parents complain, I'll be expelled."

"And we'll teach you at home."

"No, Dad, that's not what I care about! I can't get a job after Hogwarts, anyway. I want to go to school to be with my friends!"

He rubbed my back gently. "If they really are your friends, they won't abandon you. They'll see you for _who _you are, not _what_ you are," he murmured softly to me.

"I can't take the chance," I mumbled. The office door opened and three sets of footsteps entered.

"I cannot believe you two!" Mr. Potter yelled. "What were you thinking?"

"About playing a prank on the Minister," I heard James's mumbled voice.

I froze, my body stiffened. The door was open. And I was here, with the word werewolf on my chest. "Shit," I breathed under my breath. My dad didn't even acknowledge my foul language.

"How stupid and irresponsible of you two! Do you want me fired? Do you want to be grounded? And Sirius, do you want to be sent home?"

Sirius's gasp filled my ears. "No, Mr. Potter, please don't send me home! My cousins are there, they hate me! I'm sorry, we both are. Please don't send me home!" His pleas struck me as odd. He was never one to be afraid of his family, just annoyed. Then again, I couldn't help but remember the night before the first full moon of the school year.

* * *

We sat on our beds late that night, chatting and exchanging chocolate. Sirius was observing me carefully, but I pushed his look, and the Chocolate Frogs, aside. I liked chocolate, but it made me sick so close to full moon. Sirius scribbled something in a notebook and slid it under his pillow quickly.

"Let's tell our deepest, darkest secrets!" Peter suggested, just as Frank Longbottom entered the room. As soon as he saw all of us eating candy. he turned on his heels, mumbling about sleeping on the sofa. James and Sirius readily agreed to the game, while I shrugged nervously. I could never tell my secret.

Peter started.

"Alright, so, erm, well, my secret is… promise you won't laugh, okay?"

We all nodded solemnly.

"Well, okay, fine. It's – wait, someone hold James back."

"Get on with it!" I insisted, anxious from the wait.

"Fine, fine. I sort of liked Lily for the first part of last year," Peter mumbled almost incoherently. James's face was a perfect mask.

"Do you like her now?" he asked. Peter shook his head frantically and James looked disappointed.

"Darnit. I thought someone would think I wasn't insane!" We laughed. We had all anticipated a big blow out. Of course, that was more of Sirius's style. James went on. "Me next. Okay, so I hate Snape right? Because he's a greasy git and a Slytherin, right? Well, I kind of hate him because he's friends with Lily, too. I mean, what if she fancies him? He fancies her! It's so obvious!" We nodded in encouragement and agreement.

Now it was Sirius's turn.

"I hate my mother," he stated blankly. We gave him a look that quite plainly said we know that. "Alright, just don't tell anyone." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Bellatrix tried this spell on me. It hurt. A lot. And then she told me to try it on my brother. I did. It's called the Cruciatus Curse."

"That's illegal!" James gasped.

"I know. I know why, too. It hurts. Oh yeah, I've got another one! I agreed with my family!" Sirius exclaimed. "Yeah, so my family was talking and I was in hiding, but I overheard some stuff. They were talking about werewolves. I think it's the only thing I agree with them about. They're vile, aren't they? Just… ugh." Sirius shuddered. "You know what I mean?"

I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant, while James and Peter outright agreed. Sirius narrowed his eyes and I averted my eyes quickly.

"Okay, Remus, your turn!" I froze. What was I going to say?

"I don't have a secret," I muttered.

James laughed. "Yeah, right, you're the quietest of us all! You're bound to have a secret. C'mon, tell us! At least tell us what your mum is sick with!"

"She's got… a Muggle illness. That's all. She's getting better, much better," I muttered quietly, and they took it. Why wouldn't they trust their friend?

* * *

Sirius was afraid of Bellatrix, which was obvious at this point. I felt a deep stab of remorse for him. Even if my cousins didn't like me, I knew they wouldn't hurt me like that. Speaking of my cousins… I suppressed a shudder as I thought of the madhouse it would be when I returned home with numbers on my chest. The family was visiting for the holidays.

"Sirius, James…" Mr. Potter pulled air through his teeth roughly. "Sit down and don't move. I will deal with you after I finish." I heard his heels turn, but Sirius and James wouldn't let him stop then.

"There's a werewolf back there?" James yelled in astonishment. I winced. "I wanna see! Is it nice?" I winced once more. Being called 'it' was one of the things I couldn't handle smoothly.

"Yes, he's very nice, James, now sit down. The boy isn't an animal."

"Er, technically, Mr. Potter, he is." My dad's eyes lightened considerably and he stood.

"No, Dad! What're you doing?" I hissed. He turned to me, his eyes twinkling.

"You look pale. I'm getting something for you to throw up in," he stated calmly before walking out into the office. I cringed. This was going to be bad. "Um, do you have a bin or something? I think he's going to be sick. He's not feeling well. Tomorrow's full moon; it only gets worse as he gets older."

"It'll improve, don't worry," Mr. Potter comforted while bustling around quickly. "It's his body reacting. He's reaching puberty; it's not his fault at all." Dad rushed back into the room suddenly and set a bin in front of me. My stomach, suddenly queasy again, heaved. I vomited.

"The werewolf's a little kid? Dad, please, can we see it? I mean, meet him?" James corrected quickly.

"Depends if he wants to be met, boys." I could just see Sirius rolling his eyes.

"Hey! You, in the room back there! Wanna meet us? We're really not that bad, even if Mr. Potter complains!" Sirius shouted. I couldn't hold down a grin. "And anything you've heard about my surname, it doesn't apply!"

"Yeah, come on! We've never met a werewolf before! We just wanna meet someone. Plus, it's really boring around here, there are no other kids. The only reason we keep coming are pranks and to meet a werewolf."

"Please?" the boys chanted in unison.

Dad sent me a glance.

"They won't care, Remus," he whispered softly.

"They will," I croaked. "And tell them I say no." He strode out of the room quickly.

"Sorry, he said no. His older cousin, Marissa, said he was PMSing, this morning. He's usually more pleasant, really. My son… is extremely self conscious about his condition." My face blushed red as he shared this bit of information. Marissa had indeed claimed I was "_PMSing"_ when she roused me out of bed. Marissa was a Muggle, from my mother's side, and therefore not quite as frightened as my younger, wizard cousins. My mum was a Muggleborn and the younger of two children.

"Poor kid," Mr. Potter laughed. "Well, let's get on with this. I haven't managed to find anything that wouldn't break his teeth to bite on except this old rag, and I doubt he wants to stick that in his mouth." They walked into the room and shut the door quickly.

"They can't hear us, so all is good. Really, Remus, they are quite nice. Pranksters, perhaps, but not cruel." This was, in no way, true. They were cruel to the Slytherins, especially Snape. I could only imagine what they could do to me. Still, they liked me, for the time being. I wasn't ready to give that up. It had taken weeks to gain acceptance into their group.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"All is confidential, so I promise I won't tell your name so they can hunt you down," he joked, before turning very serious. He replaced his gloves with new, sterile ones, and turned towards me and the table. He helped me up gently and even helped me mount the high slab. The cold metal seeped through my jeans as I stripped my coat and, with shaking hands, my shirt. My back had goose bumps on it as I leaned against the smooth surface. Dad grasped my hand and squeezed, motioning that I could hold it as tight as I liked. Mr. Potter offered me the rag, and I took it willingly. I would take anything to help ease the pain.

I stuffed the cloth into my mouth and bit down hard as I watched the glowing end of the wand come nearer to my skin. I recoiled as the heat hit my shoulder. The skin split. I screamed.

The sound was deafening to even me. Mr. Potter looked down sympathetically, but hurried along with his job. As each number was etched into my shoulder, I screamed and gasped more. The rag was removed at one point, though I don't know when. They took it so I wouldn't suffocate on it. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks. I screamed louder than I had ever remembered screaming before. It hurt almost as bad as the transformation I knew would come the next day.

And suddenly, cool cream was being applied to the area. I sniffled, feeling immature. Mr. Potter and Dad smiled at me encouragingly.

"It's over, Remus. All over," Dad whispered over and over. "It's done. I swear, it's done. You are a true Gryffindor. So brave, I'm proud of you."

"Gryffindor?" Mr. Potter questioned. "He goes to Hogwarts? I thought werewolves weren't admitted into school. I've heard of courses being sent to them, but he attends the school?"

"Yes, Dumbledore is extremely kind," Dad replied as my hand went slick. He managed to pry his, now bruised, hand away from mine. Mr. Potter watched me in shock.

"You're James's friend?" he whispered.

I nodded, my throat dry. "Don't tell him!" I begged. "He doesn't know. None of them do. Please, don't tell him."

"The boys have been awfully worried about you. They've been taking notes on you, Remus. They have a notebook. They record anything odd that they notice."

"It must be full by now," I mumbled.

"It is. I found it the other day. They started it last year, but only started recording your disappearances in September. They haven't pieced it together yet, Remus, but they will soon."

"Don't tell them. I'm begging you, please don't!" I sat straight up on the table, my shirt still on the ground. On my shoulder was an angry red spot. It felt hot and painful, though less than before.

"I wouldn't think of it. But, Remus –."

The door slammed open. James and Sirius were standing at the entrance.

"The spell broke. And they're too curious for their own good." My friends (no, former friends, I corrected in my mind) gaped at me, their eyes wide and even a bit frightened. Sirius's expression looked a bit smug, but James's was betrayed.

"What do you mean the spell broke?" I hissed.

"The Silencing Spell. I suppose you screamed loud enough to break it," Mr. Potter apologized. "I only just noticed. And it would've been too late if I fixed it. I would've had to stop and that would have prolonged the pain."

"Lupin's a werewolf?" Sirius yelled. I gulped. He only used surnames for us when he was really angry. James shoved him to the side, but playfully.

"You're the one who thought it up!"

"It was a joke, you idiot, I didn't think he really was one!" Sirius stepped back quickly, and I remembered his words, that everyone was so quick to agree with.

_They're vile, aren't they?_

It rang through my ears. James hazel eyes bore through me and I followed their gaze to the newly scarred tissue. He scanned my arms and chest, all of which had various scars from previous transformations.

"You lied to us," he murmured. "We all told each other the truth, the plain, cold truth! Sirius told us stuff he wouldn't tell anyone else, stuff nobody would have even been able to guess! Yet, you won't bother to tell us that we're sharing a dorm with a bloody werewolf." He shook his head. I stumbled, searching for words.

"James, I couldn't tell you guys!"

"What, did Dumbledore forbid you?"

"No. He advised I didn't though. If there were letters from parents complaining, I'd get expelled! And… even if there weren't… I couldn't risk losing the only friends I ever had." I ended in a whisper. Their faces hardened.

"Why didn't you tell us? Do you not trust us? Do you not think we were real friends?"

"No! But… Sirius had just… and… I just couldn't get the words out!"

"Your mother never was sick, was she?" Sirius sneered. Dad turned to me in confusion. "Did you even intend to share it?"

"Your mum was sick? I don't remember that!"

"It was a cover, Dad," I explained quietly. "And, no, I guess not. But that's just why I don't belong in Gryffindor. I ought to be in Hufflepuff," I muttered. "I'm too lousy scared to say three words!"

"What's wrong with Hufflepuff?" my dad demanded. "Your mum was in Hufflepuff!"

"Things have changed, Dad. Hufflepuffs are nice, but total pushovers and duffers."

"You don't belong in Hufflepuff, Lupin," Sirius hissed. "You belong in Slytherin. You're a backstabbing, sly sneak! Besides, everyone knows that Slytherins don't have real friends, if they have any at all."

"Like Snivellus," James added, and my heart sank.

"Yeah. And guess what? You've earned a spot on my hit list. You know I've got one, Lupin," Sirius ended with a laugh. He did, I remembered. At the moment, Snape was number one. I didn't doubt that I would soon be replacing him.

"Come on, Sirius, just let him be," James mumbled as he turned away. "Wouldn't want to get bit in a fit of rage, would we?"

"James! Sirius!" Mr. Potter roared. "You're both being completely ridiculous! Apologize!"

"No," I said suddenly, my eyes burning. I leapt off the table, catching myself as my wobbly legs hit the ground. "No, don't. Not if that's what they really think. We're all entitled to our opinion, aren't we? I can't say I disagree with all their points. It would suck to be bit in a fit of rage. Believe me, I know. When Greyback's mad… well, let's just say you shouldn't get him mad."

"Remus, calm down," Dad hissed as he grabbed my arm. I yanked it away from him.

"I am calm!" I sneered. "If I wasn't calm, I'd be storming out of here without remembering my shirt. May I have my shirt?" He wordlessly handed it to me. I threw it on (backwards, in the end) then turned my back and stormed out. I stopped momentarily in front of Sirius and shook my head.

"I thought you weren't like your family. I thought you could accept others. I guess I was wrong. Have fun turning into Bellatrix, Black." And _then_ I left.

* * *

"Remus, come out!" Mum was knocking on my door. It was time for Christmas dinner. We had a rather odd tradition in our family. We opened presents before dinner, not in the morning. I never really knew why. It's just how we did it.

"No," I yelled and curled up into a tighter ball under the covers.

"Remus, don't you want your presents? I think you and your friends will have some fun with them!"

"I don't have friends, anymore!" I responded.

"Please, Remus. I need to see you; I want to make sure you're alright." Her request was soft and gentle, just like my mother. I grudgingly dragged myself to the door and unbolted the lock. "Thank you, dear. Now, come and join the family."

I let myself be pulled into the living room, where my cousins all sat. Marissa, Aunt Julie, and Uncle Romulus (the man I was named after… poor us, terrible names) were sitting by the tree, marveling at the magical lights and ornaments, though they did this every year. They called me over and no sooner did I walk within a foot was I pinned under Marissa's strong grasp. We laughed and I playfully tried to shove her off of me, even baring me teeth in the fight. On the other hand, Aunt Chloe, Uncle Joe, Jake, and Allie kept their distance. Jake and Allie were young, but young enough to know that werewolves were bad. They weren't cruel, and I knew they loved me. They were just cautious. At least, this was what I assured my parents.

I laughed, though the action hurt, as my body was aching terribly by now. Marissa joined me, still keeping my hands against the carpet.

"Some werewolf you are," she teased. "Can't even get out of a trap!" I growled playfully and snapped at her, though I kept my teeth far away. "Hey, no fair!"

"Marissa, let Remus go," her mother chided.

"No way! Come on, get angry, get out!"

"Get off me or I'll break into your room tomorrow!" She rolled her eyes.

"Try harder." She pressed me down on the ground harder and I winced. My shoulder still hurt.

"Ow! Mind the left shoulder, will you?" I yelped and she suddenly let go.

"Oops. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, thrusting my hand under my sweater to stroke the new scar. It was unfamiliar, yet I knew it by heart by now. Seven-three-six-eight-seven. It throbbed slightly. I ducked as Marissa tossed me a heavy, rectangular package. I realized that I was the only one to whom presents hadn't been distributed.

Soon, I was surrounded by gifts. The little ones shrieked in anticipation as we decided who should go first. Everyone, even the adults argued. I, however, kept quiet, as usual.

"Alright!" My dad broke up the fighting. "I think Remus, ought to open his gifts first, because, well, I think he sort of deserves it. After the Ministry this morning and the run in with his friends, I think he deserves a break." The arguing ceased and I reached for my first gift. It was the one from Marissa's family. I unwrapped it quickly to find two large books and a smaller, yet longer one.

My eyes fell on the titles and Uncle Romulus laughed.

"Well, I thought you might like to suffer with me and find out all of the stuff our namesakes did," he explained, pointing to the book that stated "Remus and Romulus." "It's not that bad, actually. Except for the part where Romulus killed Remus over a fight. Glad we get along alright, huh?" I chuckled a bit, and set it aside. The next one wore a bright purple cover and my eyes lit up. It was a Muggle book of pranks and it was huge. Nobody at Hogwarts would know these ones!

"Wow, thanks! The guys at school will love this; I can't wait to show it to them! And we won't even get points off for using magic in the halls!" My face fell. "Damn. I forgot. Sirius and James hate me now." I set the book aside and ignored my mother's shriek of "Language!"

"And now, finally, is just a little picture book we made up. There are pictures of you from when you were born. We've captured every single moment in your life! First birthday, first time you pulled Marissa's hair, first haircut, first trip to the hospital…" I flipped through it and smiled. Even if some of the pictures did feature me sick and deathly pale, it was really nice.

"Thank you," I murmured and Aunt Julie laughed.

"Just get on with the gifts, boy!" And I did. From my parents, I received a subscription to this Quidditch magazine I really wanted. They also promised that over the summer, I could have friends over. That is, if I made new friends. From Aunt Chloe and Uncle Joe, I got huge box of Chocolate Frogs and an album to keep my cards. As I munched on one after dinner, I wondered idly what Sirius would be willing to give for Agrippa, before remembering he'd be more likely to give me a punch in the face.

All in all, Christmas was okay. I did puke because I forgot to stay away from the Chocolate Frogs, but that wasn't so bad. I had fun with Marissa before collapsing into bed, feeling sick to my stomach. Full moon approached.

* * *

"Mr. Lupin!" I heard a familiar voice call through the crowd. Both my father and I turned to respond. It turned out to be for Dad. Mr. Potter was pushing his way through to get to us. James was nowhere in sight. "Mr. Lupin, hello!" he greeted once he was closer.

"Hi," my dad responded. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks. And you? How about Remus?"

"We're both fine." An awkward silence fell and I shifted from one foot to another. If I wanted my own compartment, I would need to go soon.

"Listen, Remus… I can't make James apologize for what he said –"

"Don't try. If it's what he thinks, it's what he thinks." I stopped him midsentence, for I didn't want to hear it.

"Right. Well, I'd avoid them like the plague. They have Peter on their side as well." I shrugged. I had figured that much anyways. However, a huge lump grew in my throat as I watched the three boys speed by like rockets. Dad noticed.

"Remus, you ought to go! I don't want you to miss the train." Mum came up from behind me and planted a huge kiss on my forehead. I didn't even try and pull away. I just blushed bright red. She then strangled me into one of her big hugs before passing me off to Dad, who did pretty much the same. I called goodbye to them softly and hurried on my way.

I had taken too long to board. All of the compartments had somebody in them. I walked to the end of the train, ignoring the whispers that surrounded me.

"How come he's not with Potter?"

"Where's Potter and Co?"

"Why's Lupin alone?"

My breath caught when I passed their compartment. Sirius smirked out at me, James just glared, and Peter looked mildly frightened. I gave a small, regretful smile, before moving on my way.

I had gotten to the end of the train when I realized that there was one compartment left. In it were Snape and Evans. I really didn't want to do this, but…

"Can I sit here?" I asked in a strangled voice. Evans nodded and offered the seat right away, while Snape scowled. I sat down quietly and stared at my feet. The two others chatted animatedly over some trouble Evans had apparently had at home.

"Sev, she won't even speak to me!"

"She's just a Muggle, she doesn't understand," Snape comforted in a low voice.

"She's my sister! And she hates me!"

"Look, let's talk about something else. New Year's Eve was fun, right?"

"Yeah," Evans agreed. "Even if Tuney was a crab about you spending the night." I curled up against the door to the compartment. My muscles were still aching from full moon and I was exhausted. The new scar on my chest stung when I put pressure on it.

"Hey, Lupin," Snape huffed, finally giving recognition that I was there. "Why aren't you with Potter and Black?"

"Had a fight." He smirked.

"Well, I don't ditch my friends over one little fight. I apologize and move on."

"I did apologize!" I snapped. "And I didn't ditch them, they ditched me! Now will you just leave me alone?"

"Remus… is everything alright?" Evans asked tentatively. I shrugged. "You can tell me, I won't tell anyone, I swear. Severus won't either."

"It's nothing, I'm fine. Just had a crazy holiday. The family came over. Half are Muggles, half hate my guts. That's all."

"Oh, I see. The Muggles don't understand you?" I laughed and shook my head.

"No, no, I love my Muggle family. They're the best. My dad wrote an article when I was little about Fenrir Greyback. My family said that he would hunt us all down and kill us, so they never exactly forgave us for it." It was technically true. I just left out that he had already gotten his revenge. A look of confusion clouded Evan's face.

"Greyback? Who's that?"

"A werewolf," Snape sneered. "A vicious, blood thirsty werewolf. Of course, all werewolves are like that." The ache on my shoulder throbbed as Evans turned her face into a grimace.

"Sounds creepy," she remarked, and that was the end of it. I felt the train begin to move under my seat and I shook and rattled with it. The movement was oddly comforting to me. I felt my eyelids begin to droop, my vision become hazy.

"Lily! Fancy seeing you here! Who's accompanying you on this fine journey?" James's loud voice snapped me to attention. He was in the compartment, flirting with Evans. She rolled her eyes.

"Severus and Remus, as you can see," she responded coolly. His eyes widened in mock surprise as he "saw" us.

"Ah, well, I suppose I didn't notice for they were overtaken by this beauty sitting right in front on me!" Sirius held down a laugh from outside the compartment.

"Thanks!" Evans flipped her hair and turned back to Snape. "So, are you sure Slughorn is going to quiz us on that next week? I could've sworn he said two weeks after break, not one."

"It was one, trust me."

"Hey, Pete, look, it's Snivellus and Lupin!" Sirius chanted, trying to start a fight, or at least a torture session. "Honestly, Lupin, I know you need friends, but I didn't think you would resort to this." Snape's hand curled around his wand and I pulled him back.

"Don't start it, they'll just blame you. It's what they want," I muttered to him and he glared angrily.

"How do you know?"

"I was once one of them, remember? Or is your memory so faulty that you can't recall that terrific discussion we had over how you have friends and I don't?" Snape glowered.

"Defending Snape?" Peter giggled. "Wow, you really did sink low." James had a smile that reached his ears. He had an idea. I inwardly groaned.

"So, Lupin, I figured that you needed a nickname too. You know, to go with Snivellus. Do you know what Lupin means?"

"Something about the moon," I mumbled almost incoherently. I really was cursed with my name.

"Exactly." Sirius's eyes were alight. "What do you think about Moony, huh, Lupin?"

I didn't respond.

"I asked what you thought about Moony! Answer me!" he ordered and I felt my heart break a little. These people were supposed to be my friends. I could barely keep the tears in reign.

"It's okay," I whispered and they all smirked.

"Good." And then they left without another word.

"Lupin?" Evans whispered softly. "Lupin, they're just prats, ignore them. I don't know what happened with all of you, but this is horrible. You don't deserve people like that to be your friends." Snape scoffed. He obviously thought differently.

"Karma sucks, Lupin, it really does. Now, if only it would get back at them, too…"

No, karma doesn't suck, I thought silently to myself. Whoever was supposed to be watching over me, making sure I was safe and happy, had obviously gone on vacation. Or maybe he was killed. Just like Remus. Just like me.

* * *

My face hit stone for the third time that day. Giggles surrounded me as my eyes darted around for the cause. I couldn't tell, for every Ravenclaw student was standing with his or her foot out. Being an ex-friend of Black and Potter had many disadvantages.

For one, most students chose to side with them. I heard taunts through out the school, from all years and Houses. Moony had caught on like wildfire.

"Hey, Moony! You going to meet your friends? Wait, sorry, never mind!"

"Moony, over here! Look, we're learning about the moon cycles in Astronomy!"

And worst of all – "Moony, when are you gonna howl at the moon?" The last was most obviously from my former friends.

Another downside was the amount of enemies I had made. Thanks to James's reputation for hexing, most students felt that attacking me was good payback. I had been in the Hospital Wing more than I could count in only a week of school. In addition, trip chains had begun. Luckily, these chains had resulted in new friends.

Floor, meet face. Face, meet floor. They were inseparable.

I scrambled to my feet quickly and began to collect my books. I was going to turn for the library, but even that wasn't safe. I had gotten detention for being part of a fight there just the other day. I decided to just go to an abandoned hallway, but that quest wasn't very successful. As soon as I walked into view, the large group of Slytherins – and James, Sirius, and Peter – turned their heads. Snape smirked and turned his wand on me. I went flying through the air before I could even think and was once more on the ground. The entire crowd was doubled over in laughter.

It was almost the exact same thing that had happened only weeks ago, but the victim was Snape. I suppressed a wince. Karma sucks. He was right.

Snape lodged a kick at my left shoulder and it hit right on. I clutched it with my right arm and yelped in pain, not able to get up.

"Get the hell away from me, Snape," I said through gritted teeth. James, Sirius, and Peter decided it was time to join the fun.

"That wasn't very nice, was it, Moony?" Sirius taunted, his eyes on my shoulder.

"No, no, it wasn't," James agreed. "Peter, would you like to do the honors?" I inched myself away, struggling to stand, or at least sit up. Sirius's foot landed hard on my back, and I was splayed against the hard stone, unable to move.

"Sure," Peter said uncertainly and jabbed his wand. "Scourgify!" It didn't work.

"May I?" Snape asked and they sneered, but nodded. With a great flourish, he said "Scourgify!" My mouth filled with an unpleasant taste and I began to choke.

Pink bubbles surrounded the ground as soap coated my teeth, my tongue, and I coughed and gasped for air. The crowd was laughing hysterically by now, and I shivered as I heard one distinct snicker. Bellatrix Black was there. Panic rose through my chest. I had never been victim to her form of bullying, not yet, but from what I knew, she was cruel. I knew this from Sirius, but also from others in the school.

"Good job, Snape," she praised him. "Good job. I have a better idea, though. Move aside, Sirius." I looked up to find that my former friends had made a semicircle around me. Spitting out the last of the soap, I quickly crawled to my feet.

"No way, Bella." Sirius shook his head. "He's ours."

"Your what? Your punching bag? Practice target? Come on, I won't kill him. I think you'll enjoy it. Snape got to do something!"

"Only because none of us can do that spell," James pointed out.

"None of you can do this one, I bet." Peter and Sirius went flying to the ground as she pushed them aside. Her eyes were manic as her wand came level to my chest. Her lips curled into a smile. I was frozen.

"Crucio," she whispered, and I screamed like I had only screamed once before.

* * *

**Poor Remus... I love him, I really do. Any characters that I love usually know to run far, far away, because I wind up torturing them, but it was too close to full moon and Remus was hurt, so he couldn't and I captured and him and produced this fic. One more chapter to go! I need to finish the editing in that half, but that's all. Feedback is very much appreciated. I don't usually give bribes, but... --shoots nervous looks-- I can capture Remus again and you can all hug him! Ah!! Get away from me Tonks!! Get off, I can't breathe! Uh-oh... Remus got wind of my plan and it's full moon... as he said, you don't want to be bit in a fit of rage. Love you all, toodles!**


	2. Loony Moony

**Here's the second installment to Loony Moony. You'll find out where the title is from here :P Well, this is the end. I had a lot of fun with this fic, I adore Marauder Era, and more importantly, Remus. I think he had the most difficult and intriging story. Sirius has it interesting enough, James is sort of boring, and Peter... oh, I would love to write 6th or 7th year for him. Ya know, find out _why_ he joined the Dark Lord, how he first became interested. But don't expect it from me! I have too many WIP! Keep an eye out for my other werewolf fics (I have two more in progress, one involving Remus, one not).**

**Thanks to enitsirk, my beta, who is awesome! Check out her fic, You Want To Make a Memory. It's great, I love it! I also have a new favorite song thanks to it. I listened to You Want to Make a Memory on loop while I read it. It took me 110 times of hearing the song :)**

**Enjoy!**

**-I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Harry would be smarter, adopted by Remus when Sirius went to Azkaban, not have a savingpeople thing, etc.-**

* * *

I limped up to the dormitory later that night. After hiding out in the back of the library for hours on end, where I had finally given into, I was exhausted. My body sagged against the wall as I stopped on the stairs to catch my breath. I was usually in better shape than this, but the afternoon's curse had taken a lot out of me.

I hadn't truly screamed as loud as I thought I had. Nobody had heard it except those in the corridor. James, Peter, and Sirius fled after a few seconds of the torture and I was abandoned with the Slytherins. The new bruises were tender and sore.

"Is he coming up yet?" I heard Peter's voice from just a few steps up, inside the dorm.

"Dunno," Sirius responded. "Want to check?" They were probably talking about James.

"No!" Peter said hurriedly. I narrowed my eyes. He sounded scared. What was going on?

"Come on, Pete. You saw what happened today. He's defenseless!" James's laugh was empty, definitely not genuine. Wait… James was there? With a sinking feeling, I realized that they were talking about me. "I've got to admit, that was cruel, what the Slytherins did."

"We sort of started it," Sirius admitted.

"Who expected that Bellatrix would want to join in?" Peter pointed out. A mattress creaked three times and I forced my rubber legs to continue walking. The stairs made my legs burn, even though it was only five steps. I carefully opened the wooden door.

Sirius shot up into a sitting position and jostled the other two, who tumbled to the ground.

"Sirius!" Peter complained.

"If we fall, you fall, Black!" James added before pulling him by the leg. I smiled shyly.

"Hi." I dumped my stuff on my bed before quickly running into the bathroom to change into pajamas. When I came back, the three boys were staring.

"What does it look like?" James asked suddenly. "The scar, I mean. The bite. And… and the numbers."

"It looks like a bite and numbers." I pulled the covers down on my bed.

"You're going to bed already?" Peter questioned. I shrugged.

"That curse takes a lot out of you, I guess. I'm tired."

"How long is it until full moon?" Sirius's tone was sharp.

"About two weeks, now. I won't be in the castle, I swear." They nodded solemnly. An envelope was lying on my bed, accompanied by a newspaper.

"The owl came to the window. We just put it there," Peter informed me.

"Thanks," I murmured and unfolded the newspaper. I gasped and moaned. "Not another restriction!" I ripped open the envelope and sure enough, a thick chain came falling out. It read my number in bold, engraved numbers. "Damn. How much did they make them pay for this?"

"What is it?" James asked. "My dad said something about more restrictions, but wouldn't tell me anything." I quietly explained, realizing that they were watching my every move.

"It's a… well, the only way I can put it is that it's sort of a dog collar. I don't see the point, because we have our numbers printed on our chest, but I suppose that's not visible enough. I need to wear this at all times or risk being arrested. I'll put it under my shirt," I decided quickly and shut it in the drawer beside my bed. I didn't even read the letter from my parents.

Silence filled the room. The question I was bursting to ask them somehow made its way through my lips.

"Why did you try to make Bellatrix stop?" They shrugged.

"Bella has me and Andie, the other non-Slytherin, to torture. Besides, we were already working on it, weren't we?" Sirius clamped his mouth shut, determined not to leak more information.

"Yeah. I guess. Sorry that you have to endure that, too. It hurts. A lot. Anyhow, thanks for at least trying."

I curled up under the covers and turned with my back towards them. Within moments, my eyelids were heavy and I fell asleep.

* * *

Full moon came and went without another awkward confrontation with my ex-friends. I had begun to think of it as "them" and "me." I was horrified on full moon when I found myself longing to be ripped from my human body, just for the sake of escaping one hell.

But it was true. When I was a wolf, I didn't feel so much. It hurt, but not in the same way, and most definitely not in both at the same time which had became so common.

My absence had not gone unnoticed by the school. Madam Pomphrey had done me a huge favor and put curtains around one of the beds, claiming I was in there and very contagious. In my dorm, they recognized my return by letting me find some silver spoons in my bed. I laughed and stuck them under James's pillow. Silver, my ass.

The next day, it snowed hard. It got me thinking about superstitions as far as snow. It also reminded me to put spoons under the pillows every winter.

My torture ceased as the weeks went on. No longer was I tripped and hexed in the halls. The Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors (excluding my dorm mates) had all gotten bored. They simply resorted to ignoring me, pretending I wasn't there, and if they had to acknowledge my existence, they would complain about it. I sat on the very end of the table in the Great Hall, alone, as opposed to when I would sit in the center, in the spotlight with my friends. I worked by myself on my homework. I spoke only when it was absolutely necessary.

I counted down for the next full moon with anticipation and fear. The heavy chain rested under my clothes, thoroughly hidden, even when the Slytherins knocked me over again and again.

"Look, it's Loony Moony!" was the new taunt that Sirius had thought up. Or perhaps this one was James's. I didn't know for sure. It followed me everywhere, even with those who had stopped the torment. Moony had caught on even more than I expected it to. Just as there were teachers who accidentally called Snape "Snivellus Snape" on the roll call, I found myself with the same treatment. I always knew that a bad class proceeded.

"Remus M- Lupin. Remus Lupin, are you here?" I raised my hand weakly as my classmates giggled. The roll call went on and as Professor Bernt slammed his grade book, the board words began to appear on the board. A new project. I groaned. Wonderful.

"You will be splitting into pairs and writing a research paper and making a presentation on one of the Dark creatures listed on the board. They will be assigned to you. Everyone, find your pairs." I doodled at the edge of my paper, ready to be the leftover student forced to be in a group of three. A light tap on my shoulder made me jump.

"Oh!" Evans gasped. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

"It's fine," I mumbled. Why wasn't she working with Snape?

"Erm… do you want to work with me?" My head snapped up and our eyes met.

"What?"

"If you don't want to, it's no problem, really. I just thought you might want to work together."

"No, I mean, that's fine, but… why me? Why not one of your friends or something? What about Snape?" She smirked for a second.

"Glad to see you've stopped using that horrible name you used to call Severus. Besides, you weren't making any effort to find a partner, and you're the only one that rivals my grades in class."

"James and Sirius – I mean, Black and Potter do." She laughed gently and pulled up a chair.

"Potter and Black? They're working together, why wouldn't they? Besides, if I asked one of them to work with me, Potter would be hitting on me the whole time, and Black would be trying to slip me Love Potion for Potter." I nodded. She had an excellent point.

"But your reputation could be totally ruined by being near me."

"I'm friends with Severus, aren't I? Can't I be friends with you, too? I used to that stuff, I don't mind." My face blushed hot.

"Is this a… pity offer?" Her eyes shifted slightly.

"Perhaps a bit. But not mostly!" I was quiet for a moment.

"Alright. Good to know, at least." By then, the rest of the class had settled and Professor Bernt made his way around the room with a hat full of creatures. I thrust my hand inside and unfolded my paper while my stomach twisted up. With my luck, it would be –

"Werewolf. Excellent choice, Mr. Lupin, very interesting!" I sent a grim smile over to my professor as he noted this into his grade book. Lily was grinning from ear to ear.

"Yes, I've wanted to learn about these since Severus mentioned that one on the train. What was his name?"

"Greyback," I answered shortly.

"Right! That was it! I bet you'll know all about this, since your dad wrote about one, once, right?"

"Yep." Professor Bernt resumed his spot at the front of the room.

"We'll go over the details of the project later. Now, throughout the next two weeks, we will be doing studies on each of these creatures. We are going to start with one of the best known – werewolves." Oh, yeah, this was definitely a bad class. "Mr. Lupin, Miss Evans, you have this subject. What do you know about it?"

"There was this guy named Greyback," Lily shrugged. "I don't know much, honestly. Remus knows more, right?" James, Sirius, and Peter (the threesome of the class) snickered.

"Yeah, I guess," I mumbled.

"Well, would you tell us what you know then?" I struggled to choose the information and decided on the book definition.

"They're Dark creatures by nature… erm, you turn into one when you're bit… uh, there's no cure... they're working on keeping werewolves under control right now… werewolves have a longing for flesh and blood? I think?" Most of this I truly wasn't sure of. I wasn't sheltered from preconceptions, but I never bothered to go into specifics.

"Good, Mr. Lupin, good. Can you tell me who exactly Greyback is?"

"A werewolf that wreaks terror all over the place and kidnaps young children so that he can raise them to be just like him. He bites them. Sometimes he actually takes them away, sometimes he doesn't. He's got a tendency to like revenge. If someone acts against him, next thing you know – they're dead, their family is dead, their child is kidnapped, or their child is a werewolf. Or more than one of those." My fingers twitched to my scar, but I held them down.

"Excellent. Yes, Greyback is the essence of the definition of werewolves. He is one of the reasons for the prejudice against such! What are some prejudices? Some laws against them?"

"They aren't hired very often, so most are poor."

"They have to get registered."

"They have to wear a tag with their registration number on it."

"They have to have their registration number seared into their flesh painfully with wands! Sometimes they get painkillers, but sometimes they've got to take it full on!" This was James, of course. Evans winced during his description.

"That's horrible!" she trilled. "Doesn't anyone agree?" All her admirers suddenly stopped their grins, excluding James. He was too arrogant to care. "Remus, don't you think so?"

"Yeah, I suppose. But it's not like it can be undone."

"And why not?"

"Because it's the same effect of having a knife thrust through the skin, only with a wand. It won't fade over time. It'll hurt more to have it removed. They would have to remove flesh."

"Can't they at least put them unconscious?"

"They can. And they do. But sometimes people can't take the medication, it's too strong or too weak. If it's too strong they could die or puke it up, which defeats the purpose. And if it's too weak, it won't do anything."

"Marking them like animals, though!" The rest of the class was getting into the discussion. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Evans, they are animals! Werewolves, note the wolves part."

"I know enough about werewolves to know it's only on full moons. And it's not as if they have a choice. Remus said it before, some kids are kidnapped and bit. They didn't run up to the wolf and extend their hand, saying 'Bite me, I want to turn into a monster.'"

I fought down a laugh. When I had been six or seven, I went through a phase with dogs. Anything to do with dogs, I wanted. All I wished for was a puppy. My family had joked that, if confronted with a werewolf (if I was still human on full moon), I would try and pet it. Dad claimed this was what had really happened for a few months, but we all knew that Greyback was anything but a cute puppy.

Peter noticed my fight for control.

"How do you know? Maybe they did!" Evans glanced at me as I bit my lip.

"Look, Pettigrew. Even Lupin finds the idea ridiculous. Right?"

"Erm… no, actually. When I was little, I liked dogs a bit too much. My parents were terrified that I would walk up to a werewolf on full moon, just to try and pet the 'puppy.' I can see it happening to someone else. I can see it happening to me!" She let out a moan of desperation.

"Why all this prejudice against them? Most of the time, they're normal people!"

"They're monsters," James said simply.

"Agreed!" Sirius chanted with Peter. I eyed them uncomfortably. Evans turned to me.

"Don't tell me you agree!"

"I do… sort of. Greyback is a monster. But I'm sure there's a humane werewolf somewhere. There's a reason that these laws can even take place. Greyback isn't showing up to be branded, is he? No. It's the civilized ones that take all the laws and restrictions." I fell silent and sat back in my chair. I was done for the day.

Forty minutes later, class was dismissed. I rushed out of the room, former friends on my tail.

"Hey, Loony Moony!" they yelled. My blood boiled.

"Bugger off," I snarled. I was in no mood for this. James's hand stopped me cold and pressed me against the wall. I gasped as the wind was knocked out of me. He lifted me off my feet, so that I was eye level with him.

"What's with the sudden confidence? You weren't so confident over break," he growled impressively. I couldn't growl that well! He lowered his voice a notch. "You weren't this confident when you were screaming and crying. It's just a little cut, though. No big deal, right?"

"Get off of me," I breathed. If he had been a little louder, everyone would have heard. Sirius and Peter flanked James's side, Sirius twirling his wand in his hand.

"Why are you stealing my girl?"

"What? Your girl? You mean Lily Evans? I wasn't aware you two were dating," I hissed.

"We aren't. Not yet. But with you in the way, we never will be!"

"I don't like her like that. I don't like her at all," I clarified. "She's nice. That's more than I can say for some people. Now let me go!" I dropped to the ground. A wand under my chin pulled me up again.

"Bet you liked that lesson, huh, Lupin?" Sirius commented calmly, as if I wasn't being threatened at the end of his wand. "Very interesting. I'm guessing you're the idiot who pet a werewolf?"

"Nope, they made that up when I was older," I choked out, trying to remain calm. If I had to, I could always grab my wand. They hadn't taken it – yet.

"Peter, want to do the honors?" Sirius offered. Peter nodded before cupping his hands to his mouth and announcing to the crowd of students. There were people from every House, every year, milling around before lunch.

"Hey, everyone! Moony's got a secret!" I coughed and choked on the air. Sweat poured down my face and my hands were clammy as my back pressed hard against the stone and my legs flailed uselessly.

"Yeah, anyone want to hear?" Sirius joined in. James obviously had no clue they planned this. His face was probably as shocked as mine was. Our eyes connected quickly and he snapped his head away, staring at his friends in disbelief.

"No, don't!" he hissed to them, but they both ignored him. They were relishing in the crowd's cheers.

"Well, here it is! Moony is a w- !"

"Wimp!" James interrupted smoothly, pushing Sirius out of the way and taking his place, holding me to the wall. "Watch this!" The floor met my face and my mouth filled with blood. Sirius's leg was only an arm's reach away, I noticed… my arm shot out and pulled.

He came crashing down, his arms flying out for support. Peter came down with him, making a crumpled mess, with me at the bottom. James's ankle was caught by Peter's foot, and he joined us.

"Potter! Black! Pettigrew! Lupin!" I groaned. McGonagall was here. "Detention! Now get up off the floor. Your detention is in two weeks." I mentally counted in my head. Two weeks… that was the day before full moon. Why, oh why, me?

* * *

"You'll be cleaning the trophy room," Filch announced to us as we stood in a row. Peter and I were solemn and quiet, but James and Sirius had mile wide grins. This was probably one of the simplest detentions they had ever had. I stood slightly apart from their cluster. "Well? Go in!"

We raced to be the last in. Shoving and pushing one another to the front, it almost cost us a second detention. My hand grasped the doorknob as I fell forward and it twisted open. I lost. I was first. We split up in the enormous room.

"I'll take this corner," I muttered and trudged over to the silver medals and trophies. James claimed gold, the smallest of the three different kinds of metal, while Sirius and Peter took bronze, the largest. I grabbed a rag and began to swipe it back on forth on the Quidditch Cup. I struggled to keep my stomach down. I knew for sure that they would kill me if I puked all over the trophies.

After a few minutes of silence, Sirius peeked a look at the door. That was always his job during detentions.

"All clear!" he announced happily. Him, James, and Peter dropped their supplies and leaned against the shelves happily. I continued scrubbing. I was working on my second medal.

"Hey, Lupin, aren't you going to take a break?" Peter asked.

"No," I told them. "I want to be out of here as soon as possible and get some sleep. Plus, we barely started."

"How come you want sleep? Tomorrow's Saturday!" James was fixing his glasses, polishing them with his rag.

"Full moon. And I feel like I'm going to be sick. I knew I shouldn't have had the Chocolate Frog Dumbledore gave me today."

"How come you get sweets?" I shrugged.

"He offers them to anyone who goes to his office." I dropped the medal and smeared polish over the next. "I was there because he wanted to check my condition before full moon. He offered for me to go home for a little while. I almost said yes… but I'll give school a few more days." James's glasses clattered to the ground.

"Home?" Sirius gasped. "Why? I hate going home!"

"I'd rather be locked in the house all day with nothing to do than be tormented by hundreds of other students. And it will be nice to take a day off before full moon. I miss my family. I worry about them a lot, because Greyback doesn't know I'm here. He threatened to come back for me, you know. When I was bit. So if he goes and I'm not there… I'll probably be an orphan. Or have company on full moon."

"That's horrible," Peter breathed.

"You sound like Evans whenever we work on our project. I'll be reading from this book, 'Werewolves are vicious creatures that deserve to be exterminated as soon and as thoroughly as possible,' and she'll say 'That's terrible!' or something. She's nice, though. The only drawback is Snape."

"You hang out with Snape now?"

"Yep. Only choice I have, isn't it? Mind you, he's not a friend of any sort. In fact, Evans left the two of us alone yesterday and he handed me over to Bellatrix. He was laughing." I flinched as I remembered the Stinging Hex that I had been hit with. "Luckily, no more illegals."

"My cousin is pure evil," Sirius laughed. "I feel bad for you. I think you spend more time with her than I do!"

"Probably," I admitted. They slowly picked up their rags and began cleaning again. They talked to each other quietly, but I stayed out of it.

"How are you touching silver?" James asked me suddenly.

"That theory is complete rubbish. It's to make people feel safe. And it's to make my cousin tease me when she's wearing jewelry. She won't come near me when she is and goes through this whole process of taking it off and washing all the areas that the silver touched just so I don't have any contact whatsoever. It takes forever and drives me crazy." I grinned despite myself. Marissa had gotten a hold of my parents and found out about the tags. She decided to get one herself at an amusement park. She sent me a picture of it. It was pretty close, except with different numbers. I had laughed about that for days. "I touched the spoons in my bed, didn't I?"

"That was stainless steel," Sirius admitted.

"Oh." Silence overtook once more. I was onto my fifth trophy. I only had about thirty left. My arm was beginning to ache.

"What's it like, you know, transforming?" I didn't register who asked it, but I answered nevertheless.

"It hurts, a lot. And then, while I'm in wolf form, I'm not myself. I don't feel human emotions, don't have human logic. I could kill my family and friends while in wolf form and not have a clue. Sometimes when I wake up, the night floods back to me. Sometimes it doesn't. If it's a really bad night, I don't remember."

"So, it's either remember being a monster or have a horrible time and hurt and black out?"

"Yep."

"This room has too many trophies!" Sirius whined. "I don't wanna clean them all!"

"Get over it, Black. There're a lot worse things that could happen."

"Oh, really?"

"Try going through a full moon being me." A wave of nausea hit. "Ugh." I decided it was time to take my break. I sat with my head between my knees, and concentrated on the stone in front of me. I breathed deeply. I will not puke, I will not puke…

"No, thanks, Loony," Sirius mumbled and turned back to his work.

"Remus Lupin!" McGonagall's sharp voice made me jump. "What are you doing?"

"Don't feel good… sorry, Professor."

"Well, can you at least try to complete this detention? I came to speak to you about this. You've had over five detentions in the last two weeks. What is going on with you?"

"Been getting into fights," I mumbled, still a little nauseas. "What does it matter if I have a bad record?" She sighed.

"The Ministry is tracking your progress, Remus, you know that. And seeing as all of your detentions are for fights, they're beginning to think you may be a little violent."

"So?" She had caught my attention now.

"So? Lupin, are you aiming to be expelled? I assure you that no other school would accept you! Hogwarts is your only chance to complete your education. And you're going to throw it away?"

"They're going to expel me?" My voice cracked. I had been faking when I said I wanted to go home. I didn't really mean it! And especially not if the way I left was through expulsion! I stood up, wavering on my feet.

"Yes, if you don't get your act together! You have two weeks, Mr. Lupin, two weeks! Your parents are coming Sunday to talk to the headmaster. I suggest you get your story straight for them. If I remember correctly, your father doesn't take wishy-washy." She left as abruptly as she came. I sighed and continued my polishing, my thoughts racing.

"Hey, James, looks like we'll be free of Moony in just two weeks."

"Poor Snivellus. He'll be back on the top of the list."

"He deserves it," I mutter just loud enough for them to hear. "He hexed me the other day, so I fought and got detention with Slughorn. It was horrible. I was there while the Slug Club was there, so Slughorn kept coming over the check on me. Snape had an awful lot of fun. And even Evans was amused!"

James scowled.

"Got rejected again?" Peter asked, concerned.

"Yep. She almost slapped me. It kind of makes me want to be friends with Loony again," he whispered just loud enough for me to hear. My blood boiled, and suddenly I felt lightheaded.

"How come? What did she say?"

"That I was being an insensitive bully and that 'Remus' wasn't that bad, that he was really nice." I felt three pairs of eyes on my back. I closed my eyes and continued my work.

"She's telling the truth, you know," Peter whispered, so that I had to strain my ears to hear. A little bubble of hope swelled up.

"Liars aren't nice," James countered.

"Neither are werewolves," Sirius added.

"Right," Peter complied. He always agreed to so readily to anyone, especially the two of them. He seriously needed a backbone, I admitted to myself. If we were ever friends again, we'd have to work on that.

Time ticked by and we were finally let go. I declared that officially one of the worst detentions ever. I was surprised people hadn't started bets outside the room on the survivors.

Full moon is a time where I come to terms with things. I always have a lot of time to think. I'm taken down to the Whomping Willow by five o'clock, sometimes earlier. I sometimes sleep in the ragged, torn bed sitting in the middle of the bedroom, but I usually pace and think.

I would give myself word problems and trivia and things to ponder over or figure out when the month had been boring. Once I found how exactly how big the bedroom where I transformed was (fifteen steps wide and nineteen steps long). Another, I spent hours trying to figure which came first, the chicken or the egg.

On exciting months, I would entertain myself by retelling stories. A prank we had played on the Slytherins, the Exploding Snap tournament, and so on were memorized before too long.

On rather depressing months, I came to term with things. I don't come to term too easily, so I do need the time. I was ten by the time I accepted the fact that I was a werewolf and it would never change. This chilly February night, I came to terms with the fact that my friends were gone for good.

I wouldn't ever plan pranks to play on Snape again. I wouldn't ever be protected from taunts because of my friends' popular status. I wouldn't ever trade Chocolate Frog cards or get us out of detention or even help Peter with his homework. We wouldn't have quadruple dates (permitting that I could get a date at all and that James could woo Lily) or teach our kids to carry on our legacy. We wouldn't ever do anything together again.

My back arched and I could feel my bones changing painfully. I screamed loudly, the yelp turning into a howl before long. Remus disappeared. The wolf emerged.

I whipped my head around quickly. I smelled blood. I wanted blood. I saw another wolf to my side. I growled. It growled back. I lunged for it and I could feel the skin on my face splitting open. Blood seeped out and I growled even louder. How dare he fight back? Well, I was no wimp. I would win this fight.

I clawed and tore at flesh as quickly and viciously as I could. The fight lasted long. He weakened, but so did I. Every time I managed to maim the enemy wolf, I would feel a paralyzing pain jolt through my body. Puddles of red leaked into the floor. I lapped it up eagerly, the liquid sliding down my throat pleasantly. My body was changing again, the wolf realized with horror. The bones configured and shrank. My head became dizzy and a disgusting taste filled my mouth.

I spat out the blood and sat in horror. Remus Lupin had come back – and I was pretty sure he was going to be sick.

I retched all over the floor, covering the blood. I emptied my stomach as I bled, slowly and surely. The sun rose higher and higher through the sky. Light began to seep through the cracks.

Why is it so dark? I thought idly as I collapsed on the floor. It was indeed getting dark. It's morning, isn't it? I'm human.

Black spots appeared in front of me and I passed out.

* * *

I groaned and rolled over. My entire body ached and stabs of pain hit me everywhere. I forced my eyes to open and shut them quickly. The light was too bright.

"Remus?" Marissa's soft voice made me flinch. I knew that voice. She only used it when she was scared. She had used it when the two of us had ventured into the nearby forest one night when I was ten. It had been after full moon, I had made sure of that. She had used it when she slept over and her parents were stuck in a storm. They couldn't come for another day. That night happened to be a full moon.

I groaned again. Had I scared my only friend away? What had I done anyways?

"Are you okay?" she whispered. "You got hurt, really hurt." This time, I made my eyes stay open. Marissa was sitting beside me on a white, comfy chair. The curtains had been drawn. I was in the Hospital Wing. I winced as I remembered the full moon.

"Loony Moony," I mumbled mostly to myself. "They're right, I am crazy. I attacked myself. I thought I was someone else and attacked myself! It would've killed myself. I could have." I glanced at her cautiously. Her head was cocked to the side, her gaze questioning. "What are you doing here?"

"Your parents said I could come to see Hogwarts when they came to talk about you. They didn't know what they were called here for until this morning. They said I could sit with you until you woke up. It's about noon." I gave myself a once over. I had bandages on almost every part of my body. Several potions sat beside me. None of them were painkillers. Madam Pomphrey knew my trouble with them well.

"How much blood did I lose?"

"A lot."

"Is he awake?" Madam Pomphrey's brisk voice asked from outside my little cubicle. The curtains were pulled back and she entered without hesitation. Before asking any questions or even saying hello, she began to click her tongue and chide me for getting into so many messes. I listened to her rant obediently, as I always did. She yanked my shirt over my head to inspect my injuries. She spread a salve over them. They healed a bit more. Some of them turned into scars. My side was black and purple. I touched it gingerly before she slapped my hand away.

"Don't touch!" she ordered. I obliged, a little bit scared of her. Much to my dismay, not one of my injuries went through my numbers. I had sort of hoped that they would be crossed out, hidden. That way, something good would happen out of it all. Of course, I was never that lucky.

The doors slammed open and several people came running in at once. Two figures were holding another figure, while two taller people rushed in. The taller ones were my parents. Madam Pomphrey ran over to the boys and they followed her.

"I'm going to drop him!" Peter's voice rang frantically. "James, help me!"

"I can't," James hissed. "I have his head!"

"So? He's obviously been dropped a few times already. Once more can't hurt. I have his legs – which are sort of bleeding!"

"What's going on? Who did this?" The nurse's words were sharp.

"Bellatrix Black. She attacked him."

"I don't know what she did, but he got these big cuts and starts bleeding. He passed out really quickly."

"Put him on the bed next to Remus," she ordered before running off for more potions. My former friends gingerly set Sirius beside me, while my parents went after Madam Pomphrey, demanding for more information on what happened.

James glanced at me quickly, a look of distaste apparent on his face.

"Whoa. What the hell happened?"

"The wolf did. I think I'm going to need to name it, soon, it's causing me so much trouble lately."

"Oh! Can we call him Fluffy?" Marissa suggested, but I sent her a death glare. My wolf counterpart would not be called Fluffy. "How about Fang?"

"Taken by Hagrid's dog."

"Romulus."

"That's your dad!"

"I know, I'm mad at him right now."

"Marissa!"

"How about you call it Remus, for my annoying little cousin?"

"How about I call it Marissa?"

"Right, that's a good idea! I mean, it fits perfectly. We've been giving the wrong gender names, haven't we?" She smirked and I felt my face grow hot.

"I hate you."

"Not as much as you'll hate your mother in a moment."

"Wha-?" Mum came running out of Madam Pomphrey's office. The nurse hurried over to heal Sirius and Dad walked calmly behind her. Suddenly, I was being crushed in Mum's arms. She refused to let go.

"Nora… Nora, let go of him," Dad prodded gently, but she squeezed harder. "Nora, you're going to hurt him. Nora! Please!" Mum pulled away reluctantly and cradled my face in her hands.

"Oh, Remus," she whispered. "Oh, my gosh, Remus, I was so scared! We came to the grounds and they were carrying you in, you looked so horrible, I thought you were dead. I thought he had found out where you were and –" She promptly burst into tears. Dad observed me sullenly.

"What happened, Remus?" he asked in a dull tone. What he really meant was "what trouble have you cost us all again?" I gulped.

"There was a mirror," I whispered. "I thought it was another wolf. I attacked it… me. The wolf wanted to win. It wanted to prove he could."

"And did he?" We always spoke of the wolf as a separate thing.

"No. It was a draw. I transformed back while the wolf was," I almost retched again as I forced the words out. "licking up the blood. I puked when I figured that out." I smiled weakly and he returned the grin.

"That's gross, Lupin," James remarked, disgusted. "Drinking your own blood?"

"I didn't even notice what I was doing," I admitted quietly. He grimaced and turned back to the awakening Sirius.

"I hate my cousin," he moaned. "I hate her, I hate her, I hate her!"

"I hear your sentiments, exactly," Marissa mock whispered to him. "Sirius, right? I've seen pictures. Remus's room is fun to snoop through, he hides everything. It's like a maze. Anyhow, there are times when I hate this git, too." Sirius cast a weird look at her.

"Looks like Loony Moony isn't the only crazy one, huh?" Peter remarked and I blushed. Marissa cracked up laughing.

"Loony Moony? Ha! Don't worry, you'll always be Remmykins to me!"

"Shut up," I threatened through gritted teeth and a bright red face. "Or next full moon, I won't mutilate myself. It'll be you. And believe me, Muggles don't live through werewolf attacks nearly as much as wizards do. In fact, if they do live, they usually die during a transformation!" She rolled her eyes.

"You'd kill your cousin?" James yelped in shock.

"Of course not," Marissa giggled. "He always says this. It's his one and only comeback. I've heard this about a million times. Oh, Remus, want to see my dog tag?" Glinting in the bright light was her dog tag. I smiled. She always would try and support me with whatever I had to endure. I knew that much.

"Marissa, why don't you explore a bit?" Mum suggested. My cousin shrugged and sauntered out of the Hospital Wing. Sirius watched her.

"Your cousin is pretty," he mumbled. Peter and James exchanged alarmed looks.

"Go back to sleep, Padfoot."

"Oh, shut up, Prongs," Sirius muttered, but as Madam Pomphrey shoved another potion down his throat, he did indeed fall asleep. She now turned to me.

"Alright, Lupin. Drink these. They'll help you feel better. This one for nausea… this one for blood replenishing… oh, just swallow it, boy! Good, good. Now, I have some bones I need to reset. Please, try not to scream too loudly." I whimpered as a flash of heat crawled up my leg. I could feel the bones snapping together at all the right places. I cringed as she did it with my arm, as well. "I'll leave you to talk with your parents now."

Mum and Dad turned to me. Mum was still concerned, and Dad's relieved face turned back to stony.

"You've been getting detention?" Dad asked me quietly. "For fighting?" I nodded. He closed his eyes. He was disappointed. "Remus, we agreed that you would be good and focus on your studies when we let you go to Hogwarts. I have half a mind to take you home now."

"No! Dad, no, please. I want to stay!"

"To fight some more? Remus, what sort of reputation do you want? What if, heaven forbid, it got out to more than just three students? What if it got out and you're already known for violence?"

"I don't start it!"

"Yet, you continue it."

"I'm just trying to stand up for myself! I'm not a pushover, Dad. Do you want me to be one? I'll let myself get beat up, if that's what'll permit me to stay. I lose anyways, so it won't make much of a difference." He breathed heavily.

"Remus, that's not what I want. I want you to avoid it altogether."

"I can't when there's a group of Slytherins waiting to ambush me on every corner! Or a group of Ravenclaws, or Hufflepuffs, or Gryffindors! When it's the entire school against me, what else do I do?" Mum wrung her hands nervously.

"Remus, dear, why not try and make some friends?" she suggested. My lips tightened and I noticed James and Peter stiffen, and their conversation slow.

"It doesn't work well when the only person trying to befriend you is a girl who, before Christmas break, would have given anything to hex me into oblivion. She only talks to me out of pity. I asked. She admitted to it." The silence grew uncomfortable. Dad shifted awkwardly.

"Are you sure you don't want to come home?" Mum asked gently. "We won't hold it against you."

"I'm not coming home. Blame it on the wolf's lack of common sense that's seeping into me right now or sheer Gryffindor idiocy, but I'm going to tough it out. If nothing improves by summer… I'll ask Dumbledore to send home the fourth year course notes."

My parents nodded, understanding what I was talking about. Dad had been in Ravenclaw himself, but knew from observation that Gryffindors often made stupid choices. They also knew that they eventually worked out.

"John, how about you ask him now?" Mum suggested. Dad plopped himself on my bed, in his friendly dad mode. He had all kinds of dad modes. I liked this one the least. It always meant something I wouldn't like was coming.

"Remus, I got an offer. A job offer."

"And?" He got job offers all the time.

"My old publisher contacted me. The one I wrote for when it happened. They want me to write a book. It can be nonfiction or fiction, they don't care. Just a book. About werewolves." My throat tightened.

"A specific one?" I choked out.

"Not if I don't want it to. I was thinking about centering it around a fictional character named something like Remy."

"Dad, no! What if kids in school read it? They'll figure it out in no time!"

"What's wrong with naming a character after my son? It won't be directly based on you, just some details. Of course, I do want to base Remy after you, and his sister on Marissa. I know she's like that. Please, Remus, you have no idea what this opportunity could bring! Imagine if it was published! Imagine if it was a bestseller! Imagine if -!"

"If my secret was discovered. Dad, it almost happened a few weeks ago. It nearly slipped. No. Just… no." But I took one look at his pleading face and felt the urge to give in. I knew how much he loved to write about werewolves. But he had promised! I sighed. I knew what I had to do. "Alright. Just… not too close, right?"

"Of course not, Remus, I'm not cruel. I don't abuse you, do I?" I cracked a grin.

"You do lock me in the attic once a month."

"That doesn't count!" he laughed. "That does not count, Remus, not at all!" I laughed, though the action hurt.

"I know. I know." Silence grew once more.

"Erm… so… James, how is your father?" James jumped before turning to us, keeping his eyes off of me.

"He's good, thanks. Lupin, are you feeling okay?"

"I feel fine," I snapped. "No, I don't feel okay, I'm in the bloody Hospital Wing!"

"Remus!" Mum chided. "Language!"

"Sorry, Mum." Sirius stirred.

"No, Mum, I don't want thorns in my cereal! Give it to Bellatrix… Fine, then, Cissy…. Give it to Regulus for all I care! I don't like thorns… I wanted to have the spikes!" He mumbled something incoherent before rolling over. I eyed him nervously. They called me weird?

"Does he always talk in his sleep?" Dad asked Peter and James.

"We have spells around his bed so we can't hear."

"Ah."

Sirius shot straight up in bed, his eyes wide.

"That's it! Stop chewing on my damn furniture!" I jolted back. He had shocked me. "Whoops… Was I sleep talking again?" We all nodded. He only seemed to see James and Peter.

"I had the weirdest dream. You see, my Mum was giving my breakfast with thorns in it. But I wanted spikes. I dunno why, but I wanted them. So when she wouldn't give them to me, I stomped off into my room. In it were you two and Lupin. You guys were hanging out and playing catch with a Quaffle that James stole. Suddenly, Peter got hit in the head by it, Lupin fell of his chair laughing, his head broke a hole in the wall – don't ask me how, I thought James had the hard head here – and tons of rats came running out. And they started to chew on my stuff! So we were all trying to capture them, while Lupin was unconscious because he had just hit his head, and then I woke up while we were yelling. We had been trying to get them to stop chewing on stuff, and to stop attacking Lupin. We were helping him, I guess."

"Didn't you have that dream the other day?" Peter commented.

"Yeah, but Lupin wasn't there then! Remember? James was the one that fell, and he wasn't unconscious then!"

"So, why was he there now?" They cast a quick glance at me, and I listened to my mum's rant about her new recipe.

"Dunno. But I'm sure it meant something."

* * *

Three days later, my family was gone and I returned to the Gryffindor common room. My life resumed the way it had been before. Once again, I sat alone in class and during meals. Once again, I didn't speak. Once again, I did homework by myself.

I trudged down for dinner one day, positive that the Hall would almost be empty. My wand at easy access, I pushed open the big wooden doors.

My assumptions were quite wrong. Avery and Bellatrix were standing in front of a Hufflepuff, shooting little hexes at him. My bruises ached. I hadn't recovered completely and I was sure that as soon as my presence was acknowledged, I would be the one in the center. Evans and Snape watched - Snape with a little interest and Evans with none.

Why didn't the teachers notice? I thought as the poor kid yelled. I glanced at the staff table. It was empty. I gulped. Oh, I was definitely dead.

I spotted James, Sirius, and Peter up front, arms crossed and scowls apparent on their faces. James looked like he desperately wanted to intervene, but something was holding him back. I narrowed my eyes – it was Sirius.

Snape scanned the room, bored for a moment. His eyes lit up when they landed on me.

"Hey, look! Loony Lupin's here!"

"No, Sev! Leave him alone!" I heard Evans hiss, but Bellatrix was on her way over. Her long, sharp nails dug into my skin and her hot breath made my hair stand on end. She shoved me through the ground and onto the ground. The Hufflepuff was already gone.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she cried and I froze. I couldn't move. I couldn't even see what was going on. I was facing the ground. I wanted to yell, but my mouth just wouldn't open. My arms and legs were in an odd position and they screamed in protest. Her icy hands touched my arm. I wanted to shiver so badly, but my body just could not move.

She flipped me over and straightened me out, so that I probably looked like a board. I stared straight at the ceiling, unable to look anywhere else. I felt her fingers creep over to my neck and I realized that the chain must be sticking out. I gulped. This was it.

"What's this, Lupin? Wearing jewelry?" Her nails slowly made their way over to my tag. She went purposely slow, dragging it out. I began to sweat. What would happen now, when I couldn't move? Would they trample me? Curse me? Something worse?

I felt her sharp rings cut into my face. Tears leaked out of my eyes. I couldn't control it. I was scared and frozen and it hurt.

"Aw, and look at that! Widdle Lupin is crying! Is the widdle baby scared?" she taunted in a baby voice. She almost had the chain in her hand. I braced myself for the inevitable.

"Leave him alone, Bellatrix!" Sirius's voice rang throughout the Great Hall. She froze and looked to the side, where he probably was. Another pair of hands appeared above me, shoving her aside. That's when I realized – he was next to me. Defending me. Helping me.

"What is it, Sirius? You want him for yourself? Well, you'll just have to share."

"We said to leave him alone," James's voice hissed from above me.

"And why should I?"

"Just do!" Peter yelled in exasperation.

"And I'll ask again – why should I?" There was no answer, and her hot breath was once again on me. The sharp edge of her fingernails brushed my neck. They curled around the chain and –

"Get away from him!" Sirius's voice once again screamed. Bellatrix looked up, shocked.

"What?"

"Get away from him. Stop picking on him. Leave him alone. That goes for everyone here!" James's order echoed.

"If anyone so much as touches Remus Lupin, we'll hex them into the next generation! Then you'll get to meet the horrors you call your kids – if you have any, of course, which isn't likely for most of you." The crowd burst into whispers. Conversation flooded the hall. I was still on the ground.

"Why are you defending him all of a sudden?" Snape sneered. "Why do you care whether we torture Loony or not?"

"Because Lupin's our friend. And nobody, I repeat, nobody picks on James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew's friends. Right, guys?" James always had a voice full of authority. It shined here.

"Well, besides that fact that, alphabetically speaking, Black goes first and Potter goes last, yeah!" Sirius chanted.

"So if you hurt him, you'll be sorry!" Peter added. "Go! Stop staring! Go!"

"Disperse!" James yelled.

"Disperse?" Sirius questioned.

"A guy yelled at me at a Muggle amusement park once and that's what he said." Footsteps told me that everyone was leaving and the wooden doors slammed shut with a deafening bang.

"You can move now," Sirius informed me quietly. I stretched my limbs, and sure enough, I had movement. I stumbled to my feet and tucked the chain under my shirt safely. I made sure nothing showed at all. The three of them stood across from me silently, just watching me recover.

"Did she hurt you?" James asked. I shook my head.

"Just scared me a bit." I wiped away the wetness that remained on my cheeks. "So… why'd you say we were friends?"

"We are, aren't we?" Peter remarked. I shrugged.

"I dunno. I thought we weren't after the last few weeks."

"We've been talking," James explained. "And we do like you, Remus. We were just upset that you lied so much, you know? The fact that you thought we couldn't be trusted really hurt."

"It doesn't help that we were a little scared, too." Sirius shot me an apologetic glance. "But it was sort of obvious you wouldn't hurt us after the first few days of school. You're the most unthreatening thing I've met in a while."

"Why'd you keep it up, then?" I questioned.

"We're us! You don't expect us to just say we were wrong, do you? We're not going to change that easily. And like I said, the lying thing didn't help. We didn't want to pity you, we knew you'd hate that –"

"So, we hated you instead. We really did hate you to that extent until about a few days ago, at detention." Peter said. "After full moon, we put it into serious thought and decided that being friends with you was worth it."

"You're the same Remus, right? You were bit years ago, the Remus we met was the Remus that you are now. Of course, you were a bit less bruised." I laughed, a painful thing for me. I smiled shyly at them.

"Thanks. For everything."

"No problem."

'Hey, are you hungry?" Sirius looked excited and I groaned. "We found the kitchens! The house elves love us! Come on!"

"But there's food here!" I pointed out and he scoffed at me.

"Please, that? We're better than that. We deserve more. Come on, I'll show the way!" The other three raced forward and out the door. I hesitated. It was nice to be part of the "we" again. It really was.

Professor Dumbledore walked towards the table from a side room with the rest of the teachers trailing behind. They were all grumbling.

"That staff meeting was utterly pointless!" Slughorn complained.

"And out of the blue!" McGonagall added.

"Remus, are you coming?" Sirius called from the door. Dumbledore smiled at me, a twinkle in his eye.

"Yeah, I'll be right there!" I called back and ran to catch up.

* * *

About a week later, things were pre-Christmas again. We had already played one of the new pranks from my book, narrowly avoided detention a few times, and snuck out to explore the castle. My bruises healed completely and things were finally going right. I didn't oppose too much to torturing Snape, though I insisted we be a bit nicer to him. I refused to call him Snivellus.

Evans was a bit annoyed with me. She shot me dirty looks whenever the four of us were a little bit too loud or having any fun at all. She didn't understand why I had taken them back so readily. To be honest, neither did I. It just seemed right. Maybe I was desperate. Maybe their concerns just felt too real to ignore. Either way, I was content.

I had noticed that the nickname "Moony" stuck, though. I still scowled occasionally with it's use.

"Aw, lighten up, Remus!" James scolded once. We were sprawled on the couches and the floor, doing homework. "We have new nicknames, too. Didn't you hear? Sirius is Padfoot, because his name is like a dog, which have padded feet."

"And James is Prongs, like a stag, because he's arrogant!" Peter piped up. "We don't have one for me, yet."

"Wormtail," I stated after some thought. "Wormtail, like a rat's tail. It looks like a worm. In Sirius's original dream, there were rats because you got hit and James fell, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Wormtail, then. Plus, you're good at avoiding scrapes, like rats. So, who are we now?" James declared.

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs!" I yelled. Evans gave a distinct "Shut up, Lupin, we're studying!"

"No, Moony, it's clearly Padfoot, Prongs, Wormtail, Moony, if you go in ABC order," Sirius stated.

"That's not ABC order, Sirius."

"It's not?"

"Sirius!" We laughed and our quills went back to scribbling. I sighed, and rubbing my temple. I was getting a headache from staring at the books too long.

"Hey, want some Advil? It's this Muggle stuff, I got it a few months ago. It works pretty well," James offered and I took the pills without hesitation. I continued to work on my essay.

"I'm bored," Sirius grumbled.

"It's homework, we're all bored," I pointed out. His eyes lit up. My feet dropped down from the pillow that had been previously under it. I gasped as it hit me in the back of the head and ran across the room. I took the pillow that Evans had, ignoring her protests, of course, and clobbered my friends. Before long, the pillows were nothing but feathers. Sirius had somehow gotten tangled up in curtains, though I didn't know how that was possible. There were no curtains in the common room. I guessed that James or Peter had ran to our dorm and took the drapery.

We clutched our stomachs, panting for breath. My middle ached; it felt like it was going to burst. My head was a complete different story. I straightened up in surprise. How had that happened? This was impossible. Painkillers didn't work for me.

I guess anything's possible, I thought. All you need are a few friends.

A Chocolate Frog was launched at my head from who knows where. I caught it at the last second.

"Shut up!" the person yelled, and several murmured in agreement.

I munched on the sweet with a slight smile. Chocolate and friends made everything possible. I bit into the rich center, where there was a little bit of fudge, and grinned even larger.

* * *

AN: Well, there you go! Loony Moony is complete. See? Happy ending! But, now, some fun facts-

1. Remus's number (it's in the first chapter) translates to REMUS on the phone keypad.

2. How come the trophy room is so large that it takes four students to clean it here yet small enough that Ron can clean it on his own? The Maruaders blew it up in their 6th year as revenge for the several detentions they spent in there, therefore destroying a large amount of the trophies.

3. What did Sirius and James try to do to the Minister? Well, they tried to plant a Dungbomb in his coffee (idea from enitsirk's fic! It's a shame you didn't use it...)

4. This isn't a fun fact, but in case you were wondering, Dumbledore called the staff meeting on purpose so that the staff wasn't in the room. That's why his eyes are twinkling! All went according to plan. If they hhadn't gone according to plan... well, that's another person's life he ruined. Let's see... Arianna, Harry (eventually), Snape...


	3. TV Advertisement SEQUEL!

**Bookworm is sitting on the couch, watching TV for a change**

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**TV: Were you dissatified with the happy ending of Loony Moony?**

**Bookworm: (Excited) Yes.**

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**Bookworm: Yes!**

**TV: Do you think that Remus took his friends back too quickly?**

**Bookworm: YES!**

**TV: If so, check out the sequel, Truth!**

**Bookworm: (Scurries off like Pettigrew to the computer and begin reading eagerly)**

**(Finishes reading and turns to readers of Loony Moony)**

**Bookworm: Check it out! Really!**


End file.
